Apparatus for the picking up and reproduction of sounds



June 29, 1943. MAY 2,323,066

APPARATUS FOR THE PICKING UP AND REPRODUCTION OF SOUND Filed Oct. 23,1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 1 I I l' I L 1 "5 I. L I 34 I l IPTTU M E I! 16I 6 h A20 H w w v A. MAY

June 29, 1943.

APPARATUS FOR THE PICKING UP AND REPRODUCTION OF SOUND Filed Oct. 23,1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 29, 1943 APPARATUS FOR THE PICKINGUP AND REPRODUCTION OF SOUNDS Alajos May, Ssekesfehervar, El a"; vestedin the Alien Property Custodian Application October 23, 1940, Serialhim-362,436- In Hungary October 24,1939

1'. Claims.

The invention relates to apparatus for theo! the endless sound tracecarrier, the sound trace carrier becoming wound-up on the outermost turnof the coil and being drawn-oi! from the innermost turn. r

This method of guiding the sound trace carrier ensures the substantialadvantage of enabling sound trace carriers of practically unlimitfit edlength to be employed in a set for the picking-up and reproduction ofsounds which possesses the usual dimensions. Another advantage obtainedby this arrangement as compared to the arrangementsknown up to now whichcomprise an endless sound trace carrier and in which the sound tracecarrier ribbon forms a simple loop, is

that sound trace carriers of greatly diflering' lengths may be employedin the same set.

Observation revealed the surprising fact that the smooth and uniformrunning 01 the sound trace carrier is not influenced by the loose coilformed in its path 01 travel. It is particularly in those cases that theunhindered winding-up and unwinding of the sound trace carrier as wellas its quiet running can be assured in a satisfactory manner, in whichthat surface or those surfaces of the supporting member which aresupporting the turns of the sound trace carrier are situated in aninclined position relatively to the path of travel of the sound tracecarrier, i. e., obliquely, particularly if the said supporting member isinclined towards the interior of the loop, 1. e., in the direction ofthe section of ribbon leaving the coil.

The guiding according to the invention of the sound trace carrierenables lengths of ribbon of 1 to 10 metres and even ribbons ofsubstantially greater length to be employed without any difllculty,which fact will in case of the employment of a ribbon of 25 mm. widthrender possible an uninterrupted picking-up or reproduction of 2 to 3minutes per metre.

By way of sound trace carrier it is preferable to employ ordinary cinemafilm, the sound trace being cut into the rear face, devoid of emulsion,of the film.

In order to enable, in the case of the ribbon carriers oi diiierentlengths to be cut on the same set otpick-up and reproduction apparatus,the sound-box (pick-up) employed for cutting, is, according to theinvention, being displaced by a special device, at a-velocity amenableto control, transversely to'the direction of travel oi the sound tracecarrier.

Further details of the invention will be explained with referenoeto thedrawings showing two embodiments o! the device for the picking-up andreproduction of sounds.

.l'ig. 1 is a front elevation,

Fig. 2 a planview of one embodiment of the apparatus for the picking-upand reproduction of sounds,

Fig. 3 is a section drawn to a greater scale through the driving gear ofthe pick-up in the case of the apparatus according to Figs. 1 to 2,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of this driving gear.

In the case of the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2, It is thesound carrier film and 8 is the toothed drum, driven by the motor 46through the shaft 34 and the flywheel l2 and effecting the propulsion oithe sound trace carrier. The sound is picked-up by the sound' carrierabove the. support I by mean of the pick-up It.

On the sound carrier glides a filing collector brush 53 which ispivotable around the pivot 22 and which occupies the position shown onFigs. 1 and 2-only when cutting the sound trace, whereas during soundreproduction it is swung out from this position. Behind this brush thesound trace carrier I 8 forms a loose coil it which is wound around thethree rung-like fingers ll. These rungs are inclined relatively to theplane determined by those sections of the sound trace carrier which arerunning along straight-lined paths, the fingers being inclined in thedirection of that section of the sound trace carrier which isrunning-off from the coil It. The sound tracevcarrier running-off fromthe roller 8 becomes wound on the outermost turn of the coil is and isagain 7 being drawn-oil from the interior of the coil i6.

guiding according to the invention, sound trace 56 Following this thesound trace carrier it passes to the deflecting roller 6 and followingthat again to the support I.

The pick-up It comprises, as usual, an arm 23 pivotable around the pivot25. On the arm 23 the pick-up I9 is arranged so as-to be pivotablearound the joint H, the arrangement being such as to enable the pick-upto move in a direction perpendicular on the surface of the sound tracecarrier. The arm 23 of the pick-up is supported in a guiding member I,the resilient wings ll of It is by means of a coupling composed of theparts 65 and 56, that the spindle 9 is connected with the shaft It, awormwheel 2| being fixed on that end of this shaft which is situatedbehind the board 20. The coupling part 55 carries a pivot 51 which inthe operative position of the coupling engages into the recess 58 of theother coupling part 66. On the coupling part 55 a ring 58 is providedwhich is fixed to the said coupling part by means of a peg 60 andassures the axial position of the shaft ii, the ring 69 being supportedon that front surface of the bearing 6| which faces the other couplingpart 56. The part haltiiis'sup'ported on the one hand in the hearing.62; and on the-other hand in the extension piece 63of't'he arm- I02Between the extension on the shaft part 65 likewise, a compressionspring" 66' beingprovided between the said ring and the extension piece'63. Thesprlng 66 tends to bring'the couplingj'ii, 561 into theoperative position. A serratedwheel aiiis fixed on that end of the shaftpart"'65 which projectsi'rom serves for re-setting the guiding memberMzinto the initial position. For this purpose the serrated wheel 35 ismoved'in the'direction of the arrow 6;! and rotated in the correspondingsense,

carrier running over the drum 38 towards the pick-upefl'ects therotation of the drum 38. On that end of the shaft ID of the drum' 38which is situated behind the board 20, a screw spindle II is providedwhich through the worm-wheel 42 drives the screw-spindle 43, whichlatter drives the screw-spindle 9, as shown on Fig. 3, through theworm-wheel M and the shaft 45. As appears from Fig. 3, the saidscrew-spindle 9 carries the guiding member l4 comprising the wings l5.In the case of this arrangement the mechanical connection shown on Figs.2 and 3 between the driving motor 46 and the spindle 9 is not reformedby the screw-spindle 9 and the coupling: 29

quired, nor is it necessary that the parts of the driving gear should,as shown on Figs. '1 to 3, be displaceable in the direction of the soundtrace carrier; The adaptation of the transverse velocity of the pick-upto the actual length of the sound trace carrier is effected in the caseof this arrangement in a simple manner by constructing the drum 88 "asan exchangeable drum'and providing, for each set of apparatus, a numberof toothed drums 38 having different diameters. In

'piece63'and'thescrew-spindle9 a'ring' is fixed meachlcase'a"toothedldmmof Such diameter and accordingly of such number of teeth as correspondsto the length of sound trace carrier in- "the extension piece 53. 'lhe'ldevice described ,serted in the particular case is mounted on the'shaftdll. .v

The supporting member for the loose coil oi support. r

During the displacement of the carrier 29 in the I slot 32 the arm i0likewise moves in a slot 33 provided in the board 20 and extending inparallel to the sound trace carrier.

The screw 3i carries a pointer 36 which, during the motion of the screw3| in the slot 32, moves along a metre scale 31. Before cutting thesound trace carrier, 1. e., before taking a sound record or beforeplaying a sound trace carrier carrying a record cut into it, the pointer36 is first of all adjusted on the metre scale 31 in accordance with thelength of the sound trace carrier and secured in this position by meansof the wheel 3b,

' the wings i5 together with the guiding member of the pick up arm inwhich the pick-up is moved transversely to the direction of the soundtraces by. the motion of the sound trace carrier itself. In this casethere is employed in place of the smooth. deflecting roller 6 a tootheddrum 38 the teeth of which are engaging into the perforations of thesound trace carrier so that the sound trace Instead .of the-worm-gearsshown in the figures it is of course also possible to employ any otherdesired kinds'of driving gear.

WhatI claim is:

1. In apparatus for the picking-up and reproduction of sounds forendless ribbon-shaped sound trace carriers a series of smooth obliquelyinclined horizontally positioned fixed pins for supporting saidsoundtrace carrier and causing it to coil, a propelling drum for the soundtrace carrier, a motor for driving this propelling drum, a guidingroller for the sound trace carrier, a pick-up for the picking-up andreproduction of sounds, arranged on a pivotable carrying arm-and aguiding member driven by the'running sound trace carrier for displacingthe pick-up transversely to the sound trace.

2. In apparatus for the picking-up and reproduction of sounds forendless ribbon-shaped sound trace carriers a series of smooth-obliquelyinclined horizontally positioned fixed pins for supporting said soundtrace carrier and causing it to coil, a propelling drum for the soundtrace carrier, a motor for driving this propelling drum, 2. toothedguiding roller for the sound trace carrier, a pick-up for th picking-upand reproduction of sounds, arranged on a pivotable carrying arm, aguiding member for displacing the pick-up transversely to the directionof the sound trace, and a transmission gear between the toothed guidingroller driven by the running sound trace carrier and the guiding memberof the pick-up.

3. In apparatus for sound reproduction, a surT- port for a coil formedin an endless ribbon comprising a series of smooth pins fixed inhorizontal positionsto enter and support the coil said pins beingarranged obliquely relatively to the plane of the path of travel of theribbon, whereby the running off direction of the ribbon is from theinterior of the coil, an idler spaced from the coil support to have aloop of the ribbon extend from the inside of the coil beneath and aroundthe idler to the outside 01' the coil, a ribbon driving mechanism overwhich the ribbon extending from the idler to the outside of the coilpasses, an arm mounted at one end to swing on a vertical axis, a.pick-up carried by th free end of said arm to engage the ribbon betweenthe driving mechanism and idler, means @ctuated from said drivingmechanism engaging said arm and causing slow swinging movement of thearm and pickup as the ribbon passes beneath the pick-up, said meansincluding a screw actuating the arm and detachably coupled to thedriving mechanism, and means acting to uncouple said screw upontermination of the swing of the arm in one direction.

ALAJ OS MAY.

